What comes to mind is Joe Colombo's refusal to take part in Magliocco and Bonnano's plot to kill Luchesse and Gambino......That was an extremely bold move that paid off immensely for a short while.
I wonder how was Colombo so sure that by revealing this plot, that Gambino and Luchesse would accept it as fact? They could have interpreted it as Colombo himself being power hungry and rejected it's validity.
Gambino had been a backer of the Gallos according to Scarpa so he must not have been a fan of the old Profaci administration. According to Joe Colombo's son, Colombo and Gambino had been close for years. So I presume Gambino happily accepted the news. He gets an opposition boss removed and has him replaced by an ally.
One act that I think should get a mention is Albert Anastasia taking out his boss Vincent Mangano and Philip Mangano. I'm pretty sure that's the first time a NY boss was taken out in 20 years. Then he shows up to a Commission meeting and basically pleads self-defence. I know he had the backing of Costello, but that's still pretty brazen. Bonanno, Profaci and Luchese should have teamed up to take him out but they must have been too scared. I guess they just didn't want to rock the boat. Then again, I'm getting all this from Bonanno's book. Maybe it was a Commission sanctioned hit but Bonanno wouldn't admit that.
